living on CL alone as a single mum - paying private rental - how do you do it?

[Beatrix]

As i said I will store anything you want!!!! so storage is not a issue!!!!

[Just Me]

Gigi, I am thinking of you at the moment

[melbel]

Thinking of you hun...geoff and I have a laptop here for you when you are ready so you don't need to worry about that......

[Gigi]

i am meant to be rushing out the door right now, so will only make a quick reply

1. THANKS for your kind posts
2. Monday night, bilby's dad came home, acted like nothing happened!!! (so bizarre)

will come back later today to update better and do replies. it's hard for me to reply when he's home. bilby and i spent most of yesterday in doctor's waiting rooms.

anyway, the proverbial did NOT hit the fan on Monday night - like i was expecting. Maybe he is only going to react when he comes home and bilby & me are gone. The Land Of Delusion continues for bilby's dad.

[Gigi]

this week has gone so fast, had to take bilby to two diff GP's on two diff days, been driving around looking at rentals from the outside, i've had time at night but no privacy, so i can do Facebook then (surface stuff), but not the "real stuff" - like replying to this thread. (which has been on my mind alot).

yes Vicki, i DO feel the love, i am overwhelmed by the kind offers, so overwhelmed i don't even know how to reply to them - i think i need to talk it over with a Mod, not sure who they are, or which one i'm meant to contact (in this area). BB members certainly do have the biggest hearts, the kind words, the concern, the offers, it's so incredibly kind - and supportive. Makes me feel less alone about all of this.

i've been madly doing craft at night, it's become my new "therapy" for keeping sane. I have to do something "neutral and safe" at night, so if i'm checked up on, i'm doing something legit - e.g craft. i would rather be looking up real estate websites and belly belly, but it's too hard with him home (at night) to do that. i work on a destop computer, his computer is half a metre away (tiny room, two big desks, two computers).

it's Friday now, and STILL, bilby's dad has not questioned me on WHY i have done the "separated but living under same roof" form. I guess he must suspect how hard it will be for me and bilby to find anywhere to live - and he's right - i AM finding it very difficult.

I've asked for help at many places, they give me numbers to ring, some don't exist anymore, some i don't fit the criteria, most just tell me to ring the places i've already rung. i feel like i'm going around in circles.

i now have a bag in the boot of my car, with the bare essentials, if we have to suddenly go. Including the important documents folder.

feeling very scattered, so this post must sound all over the place, the few times in last few days i've come into this room to reply, needing to concentrate, then bilby "i need you mum" - i never thought i would get to reply, but she's at CC today, so i did finally get to reply - sorry for delay - must seem very rude, but was not intentional.

[Gigi]

I'm still very keen to hear from other mums living on a low income, paying 50% of your income on rent. what is it like? what do you do when rent increases each six months, but your income doesn't (increase)?

it's the rent creeping up, each six months that scares me. Cos that must mean, in a few years, you'd be paying much more than 50% of your income in rent.

[deletedit]

Things must have changed since I last rented (2005). I've never had a rent increase. I have tenants myself now, an older couple living in a massive 3 bedroom house paying $110 a week, and I wasn't planning on upping their rent until .. well, never, really, but then I have the house for sale too because I have kids to look after, I don't need tenants to look after too.

There's a lot of competition for the cheaper houses though. I was looking in the < $200 a week range (does it still exist in Adelaide?) and on the Northern side of town basically ended up with a choice of Salisbury/Elizabeth general area, Gawler, and scruffy units close to the city. To even look at a house in Elizabeth with one agent - who had most of the listings - you needed to sign the lease and hand over a tonne of info in advance (which I refused to do), and the ones closer to the city there would be 20 other people at the inspections.

I ended up with a 1br place really close to the city for $180pw. Before that I had a 3br place in Elizabeth that I was paying $150 a week for but getting $50 a week rent assistance and had a housemate in the third bedroom, so I was paying $50 a week. Trick is not to pay too much to start with.